| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Frakenstein Cliffs, Mt. Willey, Mt. Field, Mt. Tom, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Frankenstein Cliff Trail, Arethusa-Ripley Falls Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, November 5, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Crawford Depot. About the 10th car at 7:45am. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
rock hoppable with no issue |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
one blowdown on Frankenstein Cliff, one blowdown on Arethusa-Ripley Falls. As many others have noted, the WRT ladders could use some TLC. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Parked at Crawford Depot and biked to Frankenstein Cliffs. Figured I'd add the 3.5 miles and 1100ft of elevation to mix it up. Goal was to get the Willey Range for my fall grid and red line some of the AT. Mostly cloudy day, but summits were not obscured. Frankenstein Cliff Trail was much steeper than I expected. A real calf burner. Beautiful view down the valley from the top. Some have said Eagle Cliff is a better view, but I did not agree. Eagle Cliff is somewhat obstructed and the view is narrow. Arethusa-Ripley is a lovely less traveled trail. I think I may have been the first to hike it since the leaves have fallen. They looked untouched. Easy to blow past turn off for it, the sign is sort of behind you when you come to the junction. I realized I passed it when I was only 50' past, thankfully. Ice first made its appearance at about 3,100ft on the WRT. However it was mostly the large round granular type. Not slippery. Worst areas of ice were on the decent to A-Z from Field. All avoidable with careful foot placement, however. My spikes never went on the whole day. |
|
 | Name: |
JCB |
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 | E-Mail: |
jcburtt@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-11-05 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.instagram.com/p/CzST1IuAkc1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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